what are the pros and cons of a mixed flock

[african chickens]

I have not attempted ducks yet and don't want to put them with my chickens because dry chickens are healthy chickens and ducks are inherently wet.

well it rains

 

[Callender Girl]

I KNOW a drake can kill a hen by mating with her. However, I have runner drakes and runner hens that run free during the day with my chickens and geese (everyone is housed by breed at night). I have never had an incident with the drakes trying to mate with my chickens. Maybe it's because of the duck breed? Maybe because the two drakes have plenty of female ducks? Maybe the drakes just aren't interested in chickens?

While I don't think I would house drakes with chickens at night, I don't have any concerns about them mixing with each other during the day.

Hope things work out well for you and all the poultry!

 

[african chickens]

I KNOW a drake can kill a hen by mating with her. However, I have runner drakes and runner hens that run free during the day with my chickens and geese (everyone is housed by breed at night). I have never had an incident with the drakes trying to mate with my chickens. Maybe it's because of the duck breed? Maybe because the two drakes have plenty of female ducks? Maybe the drakes just aren't interested in chickens?

While I don't think I would house drakes with chickens at night, I don't have any concerns about them mixing with each other during the day.

Hope things work out well for you and all the poultry!

so the chickens would sleep in the coop or the perches in the outdoor enclosure the duck would be in the outside enclosure

I just got runners a duck breed I was afraid of owning

 

[Callender Girl]

I don't know what your concerns were about runners, but I think they are delightful. None of mine are cuddly, but with one exception, they will all eat out of my hand, are easy to get into their shelter at night, handle bad weather without problems and because of their limited flight ability, rarely even think of getting over 2-foot fencing.

Hope you enjoy your runners, too!

 

[aart]

well it rains

Ducks need a waterer that is deep enough to rinse their nostrils, and they can make a real mess with that water which can make the coop and/or run a wet mess that's not real good for chickens. Might be an issue in your climate.

 

[akf93]

I think it’s so fun to learn the different species. I got chickens for eggs. I got ducks for fun. My ducks supply eggs way more consistently than any of my chickens. I can’t always count on whose going to lay but I know that every single morning, I will find a little gift from my Khaki girl. I’ve also added guineas to the mix for protection. Excited to see how that pans out. It’s an adventure!!

The cons I’m dealing with right now are the worry the guineas will cause issues later on when breeding season come. Or the fear they may encourage my chicks to wander. But so far so good. Another concern I currently have is the dampness of the coop come winter. I don’t keep water in the coop or run. It sits just outside the run close enough to the food for the ducks. (My birds free range from dawn to dusk.) But even though there is no water nearby, the ducks poop SO MUCH and their poop is much wetter than a chickens. So that’s a con I’m working through.

But do lots of research and dive in! That my advice as a newbie. Just have a back up plan if things go awry and do everything as responsibly as you can.

 

[african chickens]

Ducks need a waterer that is deep enough to rinse their nostrils, and they can make a real mess with that water which can make the coop and/or run a wet mess that's not real good for chickens. Might be an issue in your climate.

the run becomes a muddy mess anyways between rain and snow

 

[african chickens]

I think it’s so fun to learn the different species. I got chickens for eggs. I got ducks for fun. My ducks supply eggs way more consistently than any of my chickens. I can’t always count on whose going to lay but I know that every single morning, I will find a little gift from my Khaki girl. I’ve also added guineas to the mix for protection. Excited to see how that pans out. It’s an adventure!!

The cons I’m dealing with right now are the worry the guineas will cause issues later on when breeding season come. Or the fear they may encourage my chicks to wander. But so far so good. Another concern I currently have is the dampness of the coop come winter. I don’t keep water in the coop or run. It sits just outside the run close enough to the food for the ducks. (My birds free range from dawn to dusk.) But even though there is no water nearby, the ducks poop SO MUCH and their poop is much wetter than a chickens. So that’s a con I’m working through.

But do lots of research and dive in! That my advice as a newbie. Just have a back up plan if things go awry and do everything as responsibly as you can.

love the advice, yeah I love my guineas they were the first poultry I ever owned and we have owned them for what 9 ish years but they can be brats ducks were second daisy and her sister then 3 chickens

 

[JacinLarkwell]

the run becomes a muddy mess anyways between rain and snow

Then you need to find ways to minimize that or give them spaces where they can get off the mud

 

[african chickens]

I don't know what your concerns were about runners, but I think they are delightful. None of mine are cuddly, but with one exception, they will all eat out of my hand, are easy to get into their shelter at night, handle bad weather without problems and because of their limited flight ability, rarely even think of getting over 2-foot fencing.

Hope you enjoy your runners, too!

they are pets we wanted friendly ducks that would hang around the house and visitors like daisy does